Mali

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. Without access to safe water and proper toilets, people are unable to take their first steps out of poverty.

people in Mali don't have access to safe water

12 million people don't have access to adequate sanitation in Mali, 75% of the population.

Over 4,500 children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation in Mali.

Mali is a large, landlocked country in Western Africa, two thirds of which is desert. Despite exporting cotton and other resources across Africa and beyond, the country is one of the world's poorest.

The crisis

Irregular rainfall and political instability in Mali have left as many as 3.7 million people lacking safe water.

The sanitation situation is even worse. Over 12 million people don't have access to a proper toilet – 75% of the population. Coupled with poor hygiene, this crisis kills over 4,500 children under five every year because of diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation.

Work is hard to find and many people lack a basic education. Even when employment opportunities are available, in agriculture or fishing, there is little time to work or study after walking long distances for water.

Our approach

WaterAid has been working in Mali since 2000. Over the last decade, we have worked with local partners and decision-makers to help more than 205,000 people access safe water and reached more than 208,000 people with sanitation.

We support communities in urban areas to construct communal tap stands and carry out repairs where necessary. In rural areas, villages are taught how to deepen and protect their hand-dug wells against contamination.

We also continue to raise awareness of the vital importance of good hygiene and toilets. We work with women and marginalised groups in particular to ensure our efforts benefit those most in need.

Country details

Improvements in child health

The water is safe... This will mean children, especially girls, can go to school.

Hawa Dagnan

Age 19, Simba East, Mali

Hawa Dagnan collects safe water for her family from a water point in her village. Before WaterAid helped the community install a handpump she had to walk with her daughters to an unsafe source to collect dirty water.

Since using the pump she has noticed a difference in her children's health. She says they used to be ill frequently but now this has changed and they will be able to go to school.

The next step is to help Hawa's community improve their hygiene practices and understand the importance of hand-washing and using a toilet. These basics will improve the health and wellbeing of the community even more.